Broadcom Netxtreme ii series User manual

Broadcom NetXtreme II® Network Adapter User Guide

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Broadcom NetXtreme II®Network Adapter User Guide

The information below is provided by the supplier of the referenced device without independent verification by Dell and is

subject to the Restrictions and Disclaimers noted below.

Introduction

Functionality and Features

Teaming

Virtual LANs (VLANs)

Manageability

Installing the Hardware

Installing the Driver Software

Broadcom Boot Agent Driver Software

NDIS2 Driver Software

Linux Driver Software

Solaris Driver Software

VMware Driver Software

Installing Windows Drivers and Management Applications

Linux Management Application Installation

iSCSI

Advanced Teaming Concepts

NIC Partitioning

Fibre Channel Over Ethernet

Data Center Bridging

SR-IOV

Using Broadcom Advanced Control Suite

User Diagnostics

Specifications

Regulatory Information

Troubleshooting

Information in this document is subject to change without notice.

Trademarks used in this text: Broadcom, NetXtreme II, Ethernet@Wirespeed, LiveLink, and Smart Load Balancing are among

the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries, and/or the EU. Dell

and the DELL logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Linux is a

trademark of Linus Torvalds. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation. Magic Packet is a trademark of Advanced Micro

Devices, Inc. Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc. PCI Express is a trademark of PCI-SIG. Any other trademarks or trade

names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Restrictions and Disclaimers

The information contained in this document, including all instructions, cautions, and regulatory approvals and certifications, is

provided by the supplier and has not been independently verified or tested by Dell, except where specifically noted. Dell

Broadcom NetXtreme II® Network Adapter User Guide

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cannot be responsible for damage caused as a result of either following or failing to follow these instructions. All statements

or claims regarding the properties, capabilities, speeds or qualifications of the part referenced in this document are made by

the supplier and not by Dell. Dell specifically disclaims knowledge of the accuracy, completeness or substantiation for any

such statements. All questions or comments relating to such statements or claims should be directed to the supplier.

Export Regulations

Customer acknowledges that these Products, which may include technology and software, are subject to the customs and

export control laws and regulations of the United States ("U.S.") and may also be subject to the customs and export laws and

regulations of the country in which the Products are manufactured and/or received. Customer agrees to abide by those laws

and regulations. Further, under U.S. law, the Products may not be sold, leased or otherwise transferred to restricted end-

users or to restricted countries. In addition, the Products may not be sold, leased or otherwise transferred to, or utilized by an

end-user engaged in activities related to weapons of mass destruction, including without limitation, activities related to the

design, development, production or use of nuclear weapons, materials, or facilities, missiles or the support of missile projects,

and chemical or biological weapons.

Initial release: December 2005

Last revised: March 2014

2CSINGSRVT710-CDUM100-R

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Functionality and Features: Broadcom NetXtreme II®Network

Adapter User Guide

Functional Description

Features

Functional Description

The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter is a new class of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10 GbE converged network interface

controller (C-NIC) that can simultaneously perform accelerated data networking and storage networking on a standard

Ethernet network. The C-NIC offers acceleration for popular protocols used in the data center, such as:

TCP Offload Engine (TOE) for accelerating TCP over 1 GbE and 10 GbE

Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) offload for accelerating network storage access featuring

centralized boot functionality (iSCSI boot)

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) offload and acceleration for fibre channel block storage

NOTE: Not all adapters support each listed protocol. Refer to the specific product data sheet for protocol support.

NOTE: Separate licences are required for all offloading technologies.

Enterprise networks that use multiple protocols and multiple network fabrics benefit from the C-NICs ability to combine data

communications, storage, and clustering over a single Ethernet fabric by boosting server CPU processing performance and

memory utilization while alleviating I/O bottlenecks.

The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter includes a 10/100/1000-Mbps or 10-Gbps Ethernet MAC with both half-duplex and full-

duplex capability and a 10/100/1000-Mbps or 10-Gbps PHY. The transceiver is fully compatible with the IEEE 802.3 standard

for auto-negotiation of speed.

Using the Broadcom teaming software, you can split your network into virtual LANs (VLANs) as well as group multiple network

adapters together into teams to provide network load balancing and fault tolerance functionality. See Configuring Teaming

and Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet Teaming Services for detailed information about teaming. See Virtual LANs, for a description

of VLANs. See Configuring Teaming for instructions on configuring teaming and creating VLANs on Windows operating

systems.

Features

The following is a list of the Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter features. Some features may not be available on all adapters.

TCP Offload Engine (TOE)

Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) offload

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)

NIC Partitioning

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS; IEEE 802.1Qaz)

Priority-based Flow Control (PFC; IEEE 802.1Qbb)

Data Center Bridging Capability eXchange Protocol (DCBX; CEE version 1.01)

Single-chip solution

Integrated 10/100/1000BASE-T transceivers

Integrated 10GBASE-T transceivers

10/100/1000 triple-speed MAC

SerDes interface for optical transceiver connection

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PCI Express 1.0a x4 (Gigabit Ethernet)

PCI Express Gen2 x8 (10 Gigabit Ethernet)

Full fast-path TCP offload

Zero copy capable hardware

Other performance features

TCP, IP, UDP checksum

TCP segmentation

Adaptive interrupts

Receive Side Scaling (RSS)

Manageability

Broadcom Advanced Control Suite diagnostic and configuration software suite

Supports PXE 2.0 specification (Linux Red Hat PXE Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Windows Server 2008,

Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Intel APITEST, DOS UNDI)

Wake on LAN support

Universal Management Port (UMP) support

Statistics for SNMP MIB II, Ethernet-like MIB, and Ethernet MIB (IEEE Std 802.3z, Clause 30)

SMBus controller

ACPI 1.1a compliant (multiple power modes)

IPMI support

Advanced network features

Jumbo frames (up to 9 KB). The OS and the link partner must support jumbo frames.

Virtual LANs

IEEE Std 802.3ad Teaming

Smart Load Balancing Teaming

Smart Load Balancing TOE Teaming (with the correct configuration)

Flow Control (IEEE Std 802.3x)

LiveLink™ (supported in both the 32-bit and 64-bit Windows operating systems)

Logical Link Control (IEEE Std 802.2)

Layer-2 Priority Encoding (IEEE Std 802.1p)

High-speed on-chip RISC processor

Up to 4 classes of service (CoS)

Up to 4 send rings and receive rings

Integrated 96 KB frame buffer memory

Quality of Service (QoS)

GMII/MII Management Interface

Four unique MAC unicast addresses

Support for multicast addresses via 128 bits hashing hardware function

Serial flash NVRAM memory

JTAG support

PCI Power Management Interface (v1.1)

64-bit BAR support

EM64T processor support

1.2 V core voltage, 0.13 µm process

iSCSI Boot support

Virtualization

Microsoft

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VMware

Single Root I/O Virtualization (SRIOV)

TCP Offload Engine (TOE)

The TCP/IP protocol suite is used to provide transport services for a wide range of applications for the Internet, LAN, and for

file transfer. Without the TCP Offload Engine, the TCP/IP protocol suite runs on the host CPU, consuming a very high

percentage of its resources and leaving little resources for the applications. With the use of the Broadcom NetXtreme II

adapter, the TCP/IP processing can be moved to hardware, freeing the CPU for more important tasks such as application

processing.

The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter's TOE functionality allows simultaneous operation of up to 1024 fully offloaded TCP

connections for 1-Gbps network adapters and 1880 fully offloaded TCP connections for 10-Gbps network adapters. The TOE

support on the adapter significantly reduces the host CPU utilization while preserving the implementation of the operating

system stack.

Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI)

The IETF has standardized the Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI). SCSI is a popular protocol that enables

systems to communicate with storage devices, using block-level transfer (i.e., address data stored on a storage device that is

not a whole file). iSCSI maps the SCSI request/response application protocols and its standardized command set over TCP/IP

networks.

As iSCSI utilizes TCP as its sole transport protocol, it greatly benefits from hardware acceleration of the TCP processing (i.e.,

use of a TOE). However, iSCSI as a Layer 5 protocol has additional mechanisms beyond the TCP layer. iSCSI processing can

also be offloaded, thereby reducing CPU utilization even further.

The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter targets best-system performance, maintains system flexibility to changes, and supports

current and future OS convergence and integration. Therefore, the adapter's iSCSI offload architecture is unique as evident by

the split between hardware and host processing.

NOTES: The iSCSI offload feature is not available for all Broadcom network adapters.

Fibre Channel over Ethernet

FCoE (Fibre Channel Backbone-5 (FC-BB-5)) allows Fibre Channel protocol to be transferred over Ethernet. FCoE preserves

existing Fibre Channel infrastructure and capital investments. The following FCoE features are supported:

Full stateful hardware FCoE offload

Receiver classification of FCoE and FIP frames. FIP is the FCoE Initialization Protocol used to establish and maintain

connections.

Receiver CRC offload

Transmitter CRC offload

Dedicated queue set for Fibre Channel traffic

Data Center Bridging (DCB) provides lossless behavior with Priority Flow Control (PFC)

DCB allocates a share of link bandwidth to FCoE traffic with Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)

NOTES: FCoE is not available for all Broadcom network adapters.

Power Management

The adapter speed setting will link at the configured speed for WOL when the system is powered down.

NOTES:

Dell supports WOL on only one adapter in the system at a time.

For specific systems, see your system documentation for WOL support.

WOL is supported in Broadcom NetXtreme II BCM5708 devices with silicon revisions of B2 or later. For more

information, see Limitations.

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Adaptive Interrupt Frequency

The adapter driver intelligently adjusts host interrupt frequency based on traffic conditions to increase overall application

throughput. When traffic is light, the adapter driver interrupts the host for each received packet, minimizing latency. When

traffic is heavy, the adapter issues one host interrupt for multiple, back-to-back incoming packets, preserving host CPU

cycles.

ASIC with Embedded RISC Processor

The core control for Broadcom NetXtreme II adapters resides in a tightly integrated, high-performance ASIC. The ASIC

includes a RISC processor. This functionality provides the flexibility to add new features to the card and adapts it to future

network requirements through software downloads. This functionality also enables the adapter drivers to exploit the built-in

host offload functions on the adapter as host operating systems are enhanced to take advantage of these functions.

Broadcom Advanced Control Suite

Broadcom Advanced Control Suite (BACS) is an integrated utility that provides useful information about each network adapter

that is installed in your system. The BACS utility also enables you to perform detailed tests, diagnostics, and analyses on

each adapter, as well as to modify property values and view traffic statistics for each adapter.

Supported Operating Environments

The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter has software support for the following operating systems:

Microsoft®Windows®(32-bit and 64-bit extended)

Linux®(32-bit and 64-bit extended)

MS-DOS®

ESX and ESXi Server (VMware)

Oracle Solaris

SCO®UnixWare®

SCO OpenServer®

Network Link and Activity Indication

For copper-wire Ethernet connections, the state of the network link and activity is indicated by the LEDs on the RJ-45

connector, as described in Table 1. For fiber optic Ethernet connections and SFP+, the state of the network link and activity is

indicated by a single LED located adjacent to the port connector, as described in Table 2. Broadcom Advanced Control Suite

also provides information about the status of the network link and activity (see Viewing Vital Signs).

Table 1: Network Link and Activity Indicated by the RJ-45

Port LEDs

Port LED LED Appearance Network State

Link LED Off No link (cable disconnected)

Continuously illuminated Link

Activity LED Off No network activity

Blinking Network activity

Table 2: Network Link and Activity Indicated by

the Port LED

LED Appearance Network State

Off No link (cable disconnected)

Continuously illuminated Link

Blinking Network activity

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Please read all Restrictions and Disclaimers.

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Configuring Teaming in Windows Server: Broadcom NetXtreme II® Network Adapter User Guide

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Configuring Teaming in Windows Server: Broadcom NetXtreme

II®Network Adapter User Guide

Broadcom Advanced Server Program Overview

Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance

NOTE: This chapter describes teaming for adapters in Windows Server systems. For more information on a similar

technology on Linux operating systems (called "Channel Bonding"), refer to your operating system documentation.

Broadcom Advanced Server Program Overview

Broadcom Advanced Server Program (BASP) is the Broadcom teaming software for the Windows family of operating systems.

BASP settings are configured by Broadcom Advanced Control Suite (BACS) utility.

BASP provides heterogeneous support for adapter teaming to include all of the Broadcom NetXtreme and NetXtreme II

adapters as well as Dell-shipping Intel NIC adapters/LOMs.BASP provides support for TOE teaming only for NetXtreme II

adapters.

BASP supports four types of teams for Layer 2 teaming:

Smart Load Balancing and Failover

Link Aggregation (802.3ad)

Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static

SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)

BASP supports two types of teams for TOE teaming:

Smart Load Balancing and Failover

SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)

For more information on network adapter teaming concepts, see Broadcom Gigabit Ethernet Teaming Services.

NOTE: Windows Server 2012 provides built-in teaming support, called NIC Teaming. It is not recommended that users

enable teams through NIC Teaming and BASP at the same time on the same adapters.

Load Balancing and Fault Tolerance

Teaming provides traffic load balancing and fault tolerance (redundant adapter operation in the event that a network

connection fails). When multiple Gigabit Ethernet network adapters are installed in the same system, they can be grouped

into teams, creating a virtual adapter.

A team can consist of two to eight network interfaces, and each interface can be designated as a primary interface or a

standby interface (standby interfaces can be used only in a Smart Load Balancing™ and Failover type of team, and only one

standby interface can be designated per SLB team). If traffic is not identified on any of the adapter team member connections

due to failure of the adapter, cable, switch port, or switch (where the teamed adapters are attached to separate switches),

the load distribution is reevaluated and reassigned among the remaining team members. In the event that all of the primary

adapters are down, the hot standby adapter becomes active. Existing sessions are maintained and there is no impact on the

user.

NOTE: Although a team can be created with one adapter, it is not recommended since this defeats the purpose of

teaming. A team consisting of one adapter is automatically created when setting up VLANs on a single adapter, and this

should be the only time when creating a team with one adapter.

Types of Teams

The available types of teams for the Windows family of operating systems are:

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Smart Load Balancing and Failover

Link Aggregation (802.3ad) (TOE is not applicable)

Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static (TOE is not applicable)

SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)

Smart Load Balancing™ and Failover

Smart Load Balancing™ and Failover is the Broadcom implementation of load balancing based on IP flow. This feature

supports balancing IP traffic across multiple adapters (team members) in a bidirectional manner. In this type of team, all

adapters in the team have separate MAC addresses. This type of team provides automatic fault detection and dynamic failover

to other team member or to a hot standby member. This is done independently of Layer 3 protocol (IP, IPX, NetBEUI);

rather, it works with existing Layer 2 and 3 switches. No switch configuration (such as trunk, link aggregation) is necessary

for this type of team to work.

NOTES:

If you do not enable LiveLink™ when configuring SLB teams, disabling Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) or enabling

Port Fast at the switch or port is recommended. This minimizes the downtime due to spanning tree loop

determination when failing over. LiveLink mitigates such issues.

TCP/IP is fully balanced and IPX balances only on the transmit side of the team; other protocols are limited to

the primary adapter.

If a team member is linked at a higher speed than another, most of the traffic is handled by the adapter with the

higher speed rate.

Link Aggregation (802.3ad)

This mode supports link aggregation and conforms to the IEEE 802.3ad (LACP) specification. Configuration software allows

you to dynamically configure which adapters you want to participate in a given team. If the link partner is not correctly

configured for 802.3ad link configuration, errors are detected and noted. With this mode, all adapters in the team are

configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. The outbound load-balancing scheme is determined by our BASP

driver. The team link partner determines the load-balancing scheme for inbound packets. In this mode, at least one of the

link partners must be in active mode.

NOTE: Link Aggregation team type is not supported for TOE teaming.

Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static

The Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static type of team is very similar to the Link Aggregation (802.3ad) type of

team in that all adapters in the team are configured to receive packets for the same MAC address. The Generic Trunking

(FEC/GEC)/802.3ad-Draft Static) type of team, however, does not provide LACP or marker protocol support. This type of team

supports a variety of environments in which the adapter link partners are statically configured to support a proprietary

trunking mechanism. For instance, this type of team could be used to support Lucent's OpenTrunk or Cisco's Fast

EtherChannel (FEC). Basically, this type of team is a light version of the Link Aggregation (802.3ad) type of team. This

approach is much simpler, in that there is not a formalized link aggregation control protocol (LACP). As with the other types of

teams, the creation of teams and the allocation of physical adapters to various teams is done statically through user

configuration software.

The Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC/802.3ad-Draft Static) type of team supports load balancing and failover for both outbound

and inbound traffic.

NOTE: Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC/802.3ad-Draft Static) team type is not supported for TOE teaming.

SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable)

The SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) type of team is identical to the Smart Load Balancing and Failover type of team, with the

following exception—when the standby member is active, if a primary member comes back on line, the team continues using

the standby member, rather than switching back to the primary member.

All primary interfaces in a team participate in load-balancing operations by sending and receiving a portion of the total traffic.

Standby interfaces take over in the event that all primary interfaces have lost their links.

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Failover teaming provides redundant adapter operation (fault tolerance) in the event that a network connection fails. If the

primary adapter in a team is disconnected because of failure of the adapter, cable, or switch port, the secondary team

member becomes active, redirecting both inbound and outbound traffic originally assigned to the primary adapter. Sessions

will be maintained, causing no impact to the user.

Limitations of Smart Load Balancing and Failover/SLB (Auto-Fallback Disable) Types

of Teams

Smart Load Balancing™ (SLB) is a protocol-specific scheme. The level of support for IP, IPX, and NetBEUI protocols is listed in

Table 1.

Table 1: Smart Load Balancing

Operating System Failover/Fallback — All Broadcom Failover/Fallback — Multivendor

Protocol IP IPX NetBEUI IP IPX NetBEUI

Windows Server 2008 Y Y N/S Y N N/S

Windows Server 2008 R2 Y Y N/S Y N N/S

Windows Server 2012 Y Y N/S Y N N/S

Operating System Load Balance — All Broadcom Load Balance — Multivendor

Protocol IP IPX NetBEUI IP IPX NetBEUI

Windows Server 2008 Y Y N/S Y N N/S

Windows Server 2008 R2 Y Y N/S Y N N/S

Windows Server 2012 Y Y N/S Y N N/S

Legend Y = yes

N = no

N/S = not supported

The Smart Load Balancing type of team works with all Ethernet switches without having to configure the switch ports to any

special trunking mode. Only IP traffic is load-balanced in both inbound and outbound directions. IPX traffic is load-balanced in

the outbound direction only. Other protocol packets are sent and received through one primary interface only. Failover for

non-IP traffic is supported only for Broadcom network adapters. The Generic Trunking type of team requires the Ethernet

switch to support some form of port trunking mode (for example, Cisco's Gigabit EtherChannel or other switch vendor's Link

Aggregation mode). The Generic Trunking type of team is protocol-independent, and all traffic should be load-balanced and

fault-tolerant.

NOTE: If you do not enable LiveLink™ when configuring SLB teams, disabling Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) or enabling

Port Fast at the switch is recommended. This minimizes the downtime due to the spanning tree loop determination when

failing over. LiveLink mitigates such issues.

Teaming and Large Send Offload/Checksum Offload Support

Large Send Offload (LSO) and Checksum Offload are enabled for a team only when all of the members support and are

configured for the feature.

Please read all Restrictions and Disclaimers.

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Virtual LANs in Windows: Broadcom NetXtreme II®Network

Adapter User Guide

VLAN Overview

Adding VLANs to Teams

VLAN Overview

Virtual LANs (VLANs) allow you to split your physical LAN into logical parts, to create logical segmentation of workgroups, and

to enforce security policies for each logical segment. Each defined VLAN behaves as its own separate network with its traffic

and broadcasts isolated from the others, increasing bandwidth efficiency within each logical group. Up to 64 VLANs (63

tagged and 1 untagged) can be defined for each Broadcom adapter on your server, depending on the amount of memory

available in your system.

VLANs can be added to a team to allow multiple VLANs with different VLAN IDs. A virtual adapter is created for each VLAN

added.

Although VLANs are commonly used to create individual broadcast domains and/or separate IP subnets, it is sometimes

useful for a server to have a presence on more than one VLAN simultaneously. Broadcom adapters support multiple VLANs on

a per-port or per-team basis, allowing very flexible network configurations.

Figure 1: Example of Servers Supporting Multiple VLANs with Tagging

Figure 1 shows an example network that uses VLANs. In this example network, the physical LAN consists of a switch, two

servers, and five clients. The LAN is logically organized into three different VLANs, each representing a different IP subnet.

The features of this network are described in Table 1.

Table 1: Example VLAN Network Topology

Component Description

VLAN #1 An IP subnet consisting of the Main Server, PC #3, and PC #5. This subnet represents an engineering group.

VLAN #2 Includes the Main Server, PCs #1 and #2 via shared media segment, and PC #5. This VLAN is a software

development group.

VLAN #3 Includes the Main Server, the Accounting Server and PC #4. This VLAN is an accounting group.

Main Server

A high-use server that needs to be accessed from all VLANs and IP subnets. The Main Server has a Broadcom

adapter installed. All three IP subnets are accessed via the single physical adapter interface. The server is

attached to one of the switch ports, which is configured for VLANs #1, #2, and #3. Both the adapter and the

connected switch port have tagging turned on. Because of the tagging VLAN capabilities of both devices, the

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server is able to communicate on all three IP subnets in this network, but continues to maintain broadcast

separation between all of them.

Accounting

Server Available to VLAN #3 only. The Accounting Server is isolated from all traffic on VLANs #1 and #2. The switch

port connected to the server has tagging turned off.

PCs #1 and

Attached to a shared media hub that is then connected to the switch. PCs #1 and #2 belong to VLAN #2 only,

and are logically in the same IP subnet as the Main Server and PC #5. The switch port connected to this

segment has tagging turned off.

PC #3 A member of VLAN #1, PC #3 can communicate only with the Main Server and PC #5. Tagging is not enabled

on PC #3 switch port.

PC #4 A member of VLAN #3, PC #4 can only communicate with the servers. Tagging is not enabled on PC #4 switch

port.

PC #5 A member of both VLANs #1 and #2, PC #5 has an Broadcom adapter installed. It is connected to switch port

#10. Both the adapter and the switch port are configured for VLANs #1 and #2 and have tagging enabled.

NOTE: VLAN tagging is only required to be enabled on switch ports that create trunk links to other switches, or on ports

connected to tag-capable end-stations, such as servers or workstations with Broadcom adapters.

Adding VLANs to Teams

Each team supports up to 64 VLANs (63 tagged and 1 untagged). Note that only Broadcom adapters and Alteon®AceNIC

adapters can be part of a team with VLANs. With multiple VLANs on an adapter, a server with a single adapter can have a

logical presence on multiple IP subnets. With multiple VLANs in a team, a server can have a logical presence on multiple IP

subnets and benefit from load balancing and failover. For instructions on adding a VLAN to a team, see Adding a VLAN for

Windows operating systems.

NOTE: Adapters that are members of a failover team can also be configured to support VLANs. Because VLANs are not

supported for an Intel LOM, if an Intel LOM is a member of a failover team, VLANs cannot be configured for that team.

Please read all Restrictions and Disclaimers.

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Manageability: Broadcom NetXtreme II®Network Adapter User

Guide

CIM

SNMP

HBA API

CIM

The Common Information Model (CIM) is an industry standard defined by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).

Microsoft implements CIM on Windows server platforms. Broadcom support CIM on Windows Server and Linux platforms.

NOTE: For information on installing a CIM provider on Linux-based systems, see Linux Management Application

Installation.

Broadcom's implementation of CIM will provide various classes to provide information to users through CIM client applications.

Note that Broadcom CIM data provider will provide data only, and users can choose their preferred CIM client software to

browse the information exposed by Broadcom CIM provider.

Broadcom CIM provider provides information through BRCM_NetworkAdapter and BRCM_ExtraCapacityGroup classes.

BRCM_NetworkAdapter class provides network adapter information pertaining to a group of adapters including Broadcom and

other vendors' controllers. BRCM_ExtraCapacityGroup class provides team configuration for the Broadcom Advanced Server

Program. Current implementation will provide team information and information of physical network adapters in the team.

Broadcom Advanced Server Program provides events through event logs. Users can use the "Event Viewer" provided by

Windows server platforms, or use CIM to inspect or monitor these events. Broadcom CIM provider will also provide event

information through the CIM generic event model. These events are __InstanceCreationEvent, __InstanceDeletionEvent and

__InstanceModificationEvent, and are defined by CIM. CIM requires the client application to register the events from the client

application, using queries as examples shown below in order to receive events properly.

SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent

where TargetInstance ISA "BRCM_NetworkAdapter"

SELECT * FROM __InstanceModificationEvent

where TargetInstance ISA "BRCM_ExtraCapacityGroup"

SELECT * FROM __InstanceCreationEvent

where TargetInstance ISA "BRCM_NetworkAdapter"

SELECT * FROM __InstanceDeletionEvent

where TargetInstance ISA "BRCM_NetworkAdapter"

SELECT * FROM __InstanceCreationEvent

where TargetInstance ISA "BRCM_ActsAsSpare"

SELECT * FROM __InstanceDeletionEvent

where TargetInstance ISA "BRCM_ActsAsSpare"

For detailed information about these events, see the CIM documentation at

http://www.dmtf.org/sites/default/files/standards/documents/DSP0004V2.3_final.pdf.

Broadcom also implements the Storage Management Initiative-Specification (SMI-S), which defines CIM management profiles

for storage systems.

SNMP

BASP Subagent

The BASP subagent, baspmgnt.dll, is designed for the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SNMP service. It is

required to install the SNMP service before installing the BASP subagent.

The BASP subagent allows an SNMP manager software to actively monitor the configurations and performance of the

Broadcom Advanced Server features. The subagent also provides an alarm trap to an SNMP manager to inform the manager

of any changes to the conditions of the BASP component.

The BASP subagent allows monitoring of the configurations and statistics for the BASP teams, the physical NIC adapters

participating in a team, and the virtual NIC adapters created as the result of teaming. Non-teamed NIC adapters are not

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monitored at this time. The BASP configuration data includes information such as team IDs, physical/virtual/VLAN/team

adapter IDs, physical/virtual/VLAN/team/ adapter descriptions, and MAC addresses of the adapters.

The statistics include detailed information such as data packets transmitted and received for the physical/virtual/VLAN/team

adapters.

The alarm trap forwards information about the changes in configuration of the physical adapters participating in a team, such

as physical adapter link up/down, and adapter installed/removed events.

To monitor this information, an SNMP manager must load the Broadcom BASP MIB database files to allow monitoring of the

information described above. These files, which are shown below, are included with the driver source media.

baspcfg.mib

baspstat.mib

basptrap.mib

HBA API

Broadcom supports the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) Common HBA API on Windows and Linux operating

systems. The Common HBA API is an application program interface for the management of Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters.

BASP Extensible-Agent

The Broadcom NetXtreme II Gigabit Ethernet Controller Extended Information SNMP extensible-agent (bcmif.dll) is designed

for Windows Server 2008 SNMP service.

The extensible-agent allows the SNMP manager software to actively monitor the configurations of the Broadcom NetXtreme II

adapter. It is intended to supplement the information already provided by the standard SNMP Management Network Interface

information.

The extensible-agent provides in-depth information about a Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter such as:

MAC address

Bound IP address

IP subnet mask

Physical link status

Adapter state

Line speed

Duplex mode

Memory range

Interrupt setting

Bus number

Device number

Function number

To monitor this information, a SNMP manager needs to load the Broadcom Extended information MIB file to allow monitoring

of the information described above. This file, bcmif.mib, is included on the installation CD.

The monitored workstation requires the installation of the Broadcom Extended Information SNMP extensible-agent, bcmif.dll,

and requires the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SNMP service to be installed and loaded.

Please read all Restrictions and Disclaimers.

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Back to Contents Page

Installing the Hardware: Broadcom NetXtreme II®Network

Adapter User Guide

Overview

System Requirements

Safety Precautions

Preinstallation Checklist

Installation of the Add-In NIC

NOTE: Service Personnel: This product is intended only for installation in a Restricted Access Location (RAL).

Overview

This section applies to Broadcom NetXtreme II add-in network interface cards.

System Requirements

Before you install a Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter, verify that your system meets the following hardware and operating

system requirements:

Hardware Requirements

IA32- or EMT64-based computer that meets operating system requirements

One open PCI Express slot. Depending on the PCI Express support on your adapter, the slot may be of type PCI Express

1.0a x1, PCI Express 1.0a x4, or PCI Express Gen2 x8.

128-MB RAM (minimum)

Operating System Requirements

General

PCI Express v1.0a, x1 (or greater) Host Interface

Microsoft Windows

One of the following versions of Microsoft Windows:

Windows Server 2008 family

Windows Server 2008 R2 family

Windows Server 2012 family

Linux

Although the adapter driver should work with many Linux kernel versions and distributions, it has only been tested on 2.4x

kernels (starting from 2.4.24) and 2.6.x kernels. The driver may not compile on kernels older than 2.4.24. Testing is

concentrated on i386 and x86_64 architectures. Only limited testing has been done on other architectures. Minor changes to

some source files and Makefile may be needed on some kernels.

VMware ESX

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VMware ESX 3.5

VMware ESX 4.0

VMware ESX 4.1

VMware ESXi 5.0

VMware ESXi 5.1

Safety Precautions

CAUTION! The adapter is being installed in a system that operates with voltages that can be lethal. Before

you open the case of your system, observe the following precautions to protect yourself and to prevent damage

to the system components.

Remove any metallic objects or jewelry from your hands and wrists.

Make sure to use only insulated or nonconducting tools.

Verify that the system is powered OFF and is unplugged before you touch internal components.

Install or remove adapters in a static-free environment. The use of a properly grounded wrist strap or other

personal antistatic devices and an antistatic mat is strongly recommended.

Preinstallation Checklist

1. Verify that your system meets the hardware and software requirements listed under System Requirements.

2. Verify that your system is using the latest BIOS.

NOTE: If you acquired the adapter software on a disk or from the Dell support website (http://support.dell.com),

verify the path to the adapter driver files.

3. If your system is active, shut it down.

4. When system shutdown is complete, turn off the power and unplug the power cord.

5. Remove the adapter from its shipping package and place it on an antistatic surface.

6. Check the adapter for visible signs of damage, particularly on the edge connector. Never attempt to install a damaged

adapter.

Installation of the Add-In NIC

The following instructions apply to installing the Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter (add-in NIC) in most systems. Refer to the

manuals that were supplied with your system for details about performing these tasks on your particular system.

Installing the Add-In NIC

1. Review Safety Precautions and Preinstallation Checklist. Before you install the adapter, ensure that the system power is

OFF, the power cord is unplugged from the power outlet, and that you are following proper electrical grounding

procedures.

2. Open the system case and select the slot based on the adapter, which may be of type PCIe 1.0a x1, PCIe 1.0a x4, PCIe

Gen2 x8, or other appropriate slot. A lesser width adapter can be seated into a greater width slot (x1 in a x4), but a

greater width adapter cannot be seated into a lesser width slot (x4 in a x1). If you do not know how to identify a PCI

Express slot, refer to your system documentation.

3. Remove the blank cover-plate from the slot that you selected.

4. Align the adapter connector edge with the PCI Express connector slot in the system.

5. Applying even pressure at both corners of the card, push the adapter card into the slot until it is firmly seated. When

the adapter is properly seated, the adapter port connectors are aligned with the slot opening, and the adapter faceplate

is flush against the system chassis.

CAUTION! Do not use excessive force when seating the card, as this may damage the system or the

adapter. If you have difficulty seating the adapter, remove it, realign it, and try again.

6. Secure the adapter with the adapter clip or screw.

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7. Close the system case and disconnect any personal antistatic devices.

Connecting the Network Cables

The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter has either an RJ-45 connector used for attaching the system to an Ethernet copper-wire

segment or a fiber optic connector for attaching the system to an Ethernet fiber optic segment.

NOTE: This section does not apply to blade servers.

Copper Wire

NOTE: The Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter supports Automatic MDI Crossover (MDIX), which eliminates the need for

crossover cables when connecting machines back-to-back. A straight-through Category 5 cable allows the machines to

communicate when connected directly together.

1. Select an appropriate cable. Table 1 lists the copper cable requirements for connecting to 10/100/1000BASE-T and

10GBASE-T ports:

Table 1: 10/100/1000BASE-T and 10GBASE-T Cable Specifications

Port Type Connector Media Maximum Distance

10BASE-T RJ-45 Category 3, 4, or 5 unshielded twisted pairs (UTP) 100m (328 ft)

100/1000BASE-T1RJ-45 Category 52UTP 100m (328 ft)

10GBASE-T RJ-45 Category 63UTP

Category 6A3UTP 50m (164 ft)

100m (328 ft)

11000BASE-T signaling requires four twisted pairs of Category 5 balanced cabling, as specified in ISO/IEC

11801:2002 and ANSI/EIA/TIA-568-B.

2Category 5 is the minimum requirement. Category 5e and Category 6 are fully supported.

310GBASE-T signaling requires four twisted pairs of Category 6 or Category 6A (augmented Category 6) balanced

cabling, as specified in ISO/IEC 11801:2002 and ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.

2. Connect one end of the cable to the RJ-45 connector on the adapter.

3. Connect the other end of the cable to an RJ-45 Ethernet network port.

Please read all Restrictions and Disclaimers.

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Back to Contents Page

Broadcom Boot Agent Driver Software: Broadcom NetXtreme II®Network

Adapter User Guide

Overview

Setting Up MBA in a Client Environment

Setting Up MBA in a Server Environment

Overview

Broadcom NetXtreme II adapters support Preboot Execution Environment (PXE), Remote Program Load (RPL), iSCSI, and Bootstrap Protocol (BootP). Multi-

Boot Agent (MBA) is a software module that allows your network computer to boot with the images provided by remote servers across the network. The

Broadcom MBA driver complies with the PXE 2.1 specification and is released with both monolithic and split binary images. This provides flexibility to users in

different environments where the motherboard may or may not have built-in base code.

The MBA module operates in a client/server environment. A network consists of one or more boot servers that provide boot images to multiple computers

through the network. The Broadcom implementation of the MBA module has been tested successfully in the following environments:

Linux Red Hat PXE Server. Broadcom PXE clients are able to remotely boot and use network resources (NFS mount, and so forth) and to perform

Linux installations. In the case of a remote boot, the Linux universal driver binds seamlessly with the Broadcom Universal Network Driver Interface

(UNDI) and provides a network interface in the Linux remotely-booted client environment.

Intel APITEST. The Broadcom PXE driver passes all API compliance test suites.

MS-DOS UNDI. The MS-DOS Universal Network Driver Interface (UNDI) seamlessly binds with the Broadcom UNDI to provide a network adapter driver

interface specification (NDIS2) interface to the upper layer protocol stack. This allows computers to connect to network resources in an MS-DOS

environment.

Windows Deployment Service (WDS). To extend functionalities beyond basic network connectivity when loading an operating system through WDS,

see Using the NetXtreme II Monolithic Driver.

Automated Deployment Service (ADS). To extend functionalities beyond basic network connectivity when loading an operating system through

ADS, see Using the NetXtreme II Monolithic Driver.

Setting Up MBA in a Client Environment

Setting up MBA in a client environment involves the following steps:

1. Enabling the MBA driver.

2. Configuring the MBA driver.

3. Setting up the BIOS for the boot order.

Enabling the MBA Driver

To enable or disable the MBA driver:

1. Insert an MS-DOS 6.22 or Dell Real Mode Kernel bootable disk containing the uxdiag.exe file (for 10/100/1000-Mbps network adapters) or uediag.exe

(for 10-Gbps network adapters) in the removable disk drive and power up your system.

NOTE: The uxdiag.exe (or uediag.exe) file is on the installation CD or in the DOS Utilities package available from http://support.dell.com/.

1. Type:

uxdiag -mba [ 0-disable | 1-enable ] -c devnum

(or uediag -mba [ 0-disable | 1-enable ] -c devnum)

where

devnum is the specific device(s) number (0,1,2, ...) to be programmed.

Configuring the MBA Driver

This section pertains to configuring the MBA driver on add-in NIC models of the Broadcom network adapter. For configuring the MBA driver on LOM models of

the Broadcom network adapter, check your system documentation.

NOTE: You can use Broadcom's Comprehensive Configuration Management (CCM) utility or the uEFI to configure the MBA driver one adapter at a time as

described below. Or you can use the MS-DOS based User Diagnostics application to simultaneously configure the MBA driver for multiple adapters.

Using CCM

1. Restart your system.

2. Press CTRL+s within 4 seconds after you are prompted to do so. A list of adapters displays.

a. Select the adapter to configure and press Enter. The Main Menu displays.

b. Select MBA Configuration to display the MBA Configuration menu.

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3. Use the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys to move to the Boot Protocol menu item. Then use the RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW key to select the

boot protocol of choice if other boot protocols besides Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) are available. If available, other boot protocols include

Remote Program Load (RPL), iSCSI, and Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP).

NOTE: For iSCSI boot-capable LOMs, the boot protocol is set via the BIOS. See your system documentation for more information.

NOTE: If you have multiple adapters in your system and you are unsure which adapter you are configuring, press CTRL+F6, which causes the port

LEDs on the adapter to start blinking.

4. Use the UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, LEFT ARROW, and RIGHT ARROW keys to move to and change the values for other menu items, as desired.

5. Press F4 to save your settings.

6. Press ESC when you are finished.

Using uEFI

1. Restart your system.

2. Enter the System Setup or Device Setting configuration menu.

3. Select the device on which you want to change MBA settings.

4. Select MBA Configuration Menu.

5. Use the drop-down menu to select the boot protocol of choice, if boot protocols other than Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) are available. If

available, other boot protocols include iSCSI, FCoE, and Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP).

NOTE: For iSCSI boot-capable LOMs, the boot protocol is set via the BIOS. See your system documentation for more information.

6. Use the UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, LEFT ARROW, and RIGHT ARROW keys to move to and change the values for other menu items, as desired.

7. Select Back to go to Main menu

8. Select Finish to save and exit.

Setting Up the BIOS

To boot from the network with the MBA, make the MBA enabled adapter the first bootable device under the BIOS. This procedure depends on the system BIOS

implementation. Refer to the user manual for the system for instructions.

Setting Up MBA in a Server Environment

Red Hat Linux PXE Server

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution has PXE Server support. It allows users to remotely perform a complete Linux installation over the network. The

distribution comes with the boot images boot kernel (vmlinuz) and initial ram disk (initrd), which are located on the Red Hat disk#1:

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/images/pxeboot/vmlinuz

/images/pxeboot/initrd.img

Refer to the Red Hat documentation for instructions on how to install PXE Server on Linux.

The Initrd.img file distributed with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, however, does not have a Linux network driver for the Broadcom NetXtreme II adapters. This

version requires a driver disk for drivers that are not part of the standard distribution. You can create a driver disk for the Broadcom NetXtreme II adapter